Wednesday, June 22, 2005

creation

The flood so submerged the earth that it could not appear again until the two gods lifted it from the water laden sky. But the sun had been destroyed and there was no light. All the gods assembled in Teotihuacan to do penance so they might have light. Two offered to sacrifice themselves...Tecuhciztecatl was rich and powerful, and Ranahuantzin was poor and ill. The rich made gifts of precious things to the Father of All gods, Onteotl. The poor one gave moss and maguey thorns wet with his blood. During four days, the two gods fasted and made sacrifices. On the fifth day, a brazier was heaped with coals so the gods could be purified and might illuminate the world. The turn of the rich god came first to jump into the fire. He made three attempts but each time stopped short of the brim. The poor god closed his eyes and leaped straight into the heart of the fire. A great flame shot up to the heavens and the poor god became the sun of our world today. The rich god, shamed by this example, hurled himself into the dying coals and was slowly consumed. From this a brilliant moon appeared. The gods, angered at the moon's audacity, threw a rabbit at it, which explains the dark spots on the moon, and why Mexicans see a "rabbit in the moon" rather than a "man in the moon".This sun and moon are the animal energy, air, fire, and water combined in balance. Each of the prior suns were destroyed when the gods were ignored, and this one will only exist as long as we follow the 'ladder of redemption' contained in the Aztec calendar.